SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV – An offensive duel between Great Midwest Athletic Conference champion Findlay and No. 2 seed Shepherd tilted slightly in favor of the Rams during Saturday’s NCAA Championship Super Region One playoff contest, 38-31.
The Oilers ignored considerable odds against them going into a game against the No. 8 nationally ranked team in Division II and nearly pulled off the upset for the second time in the postseason history between both teams.
Senior quarterback Matt Winzeler aired it out for nearly 400 yards in the passing game to go with four touchdowns on just 16 completions. Four different players were the on the receiving end of scoring plays.
TE Mike Rigerman gashed Shepherd’s defense for 178 yards on eight catches, including a long play of 53 yards. WR Marlin Richardson also went over 100 yards receiving and pulled in a touchdown.
The Findlay defense contained and held the Rams well under their normal season averages, a staggering 500 yards of total offense and 50 points per game on the scoreboard.
After a scoreless first quarter, the teams blew up for 28 points in the second quarter as Winzeler found RB Garret Clark for a 19-yard pass play and connected with Richardson deep from 78 yards out.
Winzeler found Tanner Schroeder for another big play on a 67 touchdown completion that tied the score at 21-21 and the Oilers took a 28-24 lead on Rigerman’s TD catch early in the fourth quarter.
Shepherd RB Ty Hebron had one of his two rushing touchdowns to give the Rams back the lead and finish off an 11 play, 80-yard scoring drive.
The Rams then took a 10-point lead with four minutes left in the fourth quarter on a play that the Oilers wish could have been reviewable. A deep ball from QB Tyson Bagent to WR Greg Shepherd was called a touchdown as Findlay DB Kijana Caldwell appeared to wrestle it away for at least an incompletion.
Findlay kicker Austin Snyder finished the year on a high note by matching the conference record of 51 yards on his field goal make with under two minutes to play.
The Great Midwest All-Conference Team and individual award winners will be announced on Monday afternoon to celebrate the accomplishments of student-athletes and their performances throughout the regular season.
Findlay officially ended the season with an 8-4 overall record while Shepherd advances to face No. 3 seed Notre Dame (OH) next Saturday. There is one more game in the postseason on the radar for the Great Midwest as Hillsdale prepares to face Truman State in the America’s Crossroads Bowl on Dec. 4 from Hobart, Ind.